EMEC Machine Tools named Okuma Distributor of the Year

From left: Tejal Mehta, vice-president of operations; Bill Mara, president; and Trevor Smethurst, vice-president of applications & engineering pose with the Okuma Distributor of the Year Award.

Okuma America Corp., Charlotte, a builder of CNC machine tools, controls, and automation systems has named EMEC Machine Tools, Mississauga, Ont., as its distributor of the year for its 2021 fiscal reporting year.

Trevor Smethurst of EMEC’s leadership team accepted the award in May at Okuma’s annual distributor meeting. EMEC has been an Okuma distributor since 1995 and, in addition to its Mississauga headquarters, has a Montreal location to cover Eastern Canada and the Maritimes.

“Receiving this Distributor of the Year Award was a completely unexpected but truly a great honour, especially when you consider the calibre of our colleagues within the Okuma distribution family,” said EMEC Machine Tools President Bill Mara. “The award is recognition of the hard work and dedication of the EMEC team during what has been a very difficult time for everyone, and, on behalf of the ownership at EMEC, I can say we are very proud of our team.”

The Okuma Distributor of the Year Award was established to recognize a distributor partner for exceptional performance in both selling and servicing Okuma products and services throughout a given year. More specifically, the award criteria focuses on performance across many disciplines, including sales, operations, engineering, service, aftermarket parts, finance, marketing, HR, and IT, all of which are vitally important to supporting Okuma’s mission of pursuing lifelong customers.

“Valuing meaningful partnerships is one of our central corporate values at Okuma, and we truly value the strong partnership that we have experienced with the EMEC team for more than 25 years,” said Tim Thiessen, vice-president of sales and marketing at Okuma. “Their commitment to creating and nurturing long-term customer relationships in Canada has resulted in growth opportunities for our customers and our mutual businesses. We look forward to many more years of partnership.”